For those wishing to keep their travel budget to a minimum yet cover the capital’s tourist hotspots five years from now, Delhi Metro will provide the bang for the buck.

For those wishing to keep their travel budget to a minimum yet cover the capital’s tourist hotspots five years from now, Delhi Metro will provide the bang for the buck.

After completion of the Metro Extension — under the proposed 108 km phase 3 — by 2016, the Metro will take people to all places of tourist interest for Rs 100, said DMRC officials.

The DMRC officials believe the Metro will become the most preferred mode of transport once all tourist destinations are in its loop at such a competitive price.

In Delhi’s HoHo (hop-on hop-off) bus service, one ticket costs Rs 300, while by Metro the same places will be covered for just Rs 100, sources said.

DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said, “The Delhi Metro already provides direct connectivity to some tourist spots. After phase 3’s completion, all important tourist destinations will be connected. The new destinations will include Jama Masjid, Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb.”

While Jama Masjid and Red Fort will have dedicated stations on the Central Sect–Kashmere Gate corridor, Hazrat Nizamuddin station on the Mukundpur–Yamuna Vihar corridor will be near Humayun’s Tomb.

As per DMRC chief E Sreedharan, civil construction for the Central Secretariat–Kashmere Gate corridor is likely to commence within a month.

The Lotus Temple will also have direct Metro connectivity from Noida and other areas of Outer Ring Road with the construction of the Janakpuri West–Botanical Garden corridor, which will have an interchange station at Kalkaji.

Metro tourist cards can be bought from any metro station. Now, the tourist cards are available for R100 for unlimited travel for one day, and R250 for unlimited travel for three days. There is a R50 deposit on the purchase of the card and it is refunded when the card is returned.